Stacey Earle

As the younger, not-so-angry and arguably better-looking member of the Earle family, Nashville darling Stacey Earle has come a long way in establishing her career apart from that of her cynical brother, Steve. Stacey Earle’s original pilgrimage to Nashville was more of a mercy mission — for her family and for her brother’s struggles with substance abuse and divorce — than a career vision quest. But Earle also found an opportunity to develop musical talents and tastes that complemented her South Texas warble. And she found an eager collaborator (and husband) in Mark Stuart. Now, with three critically acclaimed albums to her credit, Earle appears poised to take her place next to Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin, and Lucy Kaplansky as part of the next generation of folk music’s marvelous mavens.